High School Mania

Fred Hayes / Disney Channel / AP

The Disney Channel doesn't air commercials, but if it did, finding advertisers wouldn't be hard. The single most-watched basic-cable telecast on record is now High School Musical 2, which drew 17.2 million viewers on Aug. 17, surpassing the previous record holder, a Sept. 23, 2006, game on ESPN's Monday Night Football, by 1 million viewers. And it's likely that even more people watched. Anticipation for the High School Musical sequel prompted hordes of teens to gather for viewing parties to see heartthrobs like Zac Efron, front center at left, sing.